In David Lagercrantz ’s The Girl Who Lived Twice, Swedish IT wizard Lisbeth Salander is paired, as usual, in a mutually advantageous partnership with investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist ... it’s a murder mystery inside an espionage conspiracy wrapped in an action thriller—a unique concoction that should leave Salander’s legion of followers clamoring for more.
While Lagercrantz’s prose is more serviceable than the peculiarly clodhopping original writing, by this point the main characters have, sadly, become subject to the law of diminishing returns – in particular Salander, who is now just another all-purpose kick-ass heroine; despite the all-guns-blazing ending, there’s a half-heartedness to the story of her continued battle with twin sister Camilla. Far more intriguing, despite its unlikely beginnings, is the investigation into an ill-fated Everest expedition, although the necessity of shoehorning the narrative into the Millennium framework distances the action, thereby lessening its dramatic impact.
Salander is less physically present this time — and that’s too bad, because she’s fascinating ... I wish I could report that I was gripped by all this, but not really. The novel meanders annoyingly, with Salander appearing only intermittently to lend Blomkvist mainly technical support ... All of this unfolds with prose that is borderline stilted and with major and minor plot turns that make little sense ... it’s just mighty peculiar ... Readers who are ambivalent about the violence and gore that are part and parcel of so many Scandinavian mysteries these days needn’t worry too much about The Girl Who Lived Twice.
If this turns out to be, as Lagercrantz has suggested, the final installment in the series, it’s going out on a resounding tonic chord ... If this installment has a weakness, it’s that Blomkvist’s search, which leads to a tragedy that happened years before on Mt. Everest, seems unnecessarily complex. That might be fine in another novel, but here the reader wants more of Salander and less of mountain climbing. Fortunately, Lagercrantz, when he can get himself down the mountain, delivers in high style ... Salander is what she’s always been: a force to be reckoned with and one of the most memorable series leads in the history of crime fiction.
The Girl Who Lived Twice delivers a suspenseful story, offering some welcome escapism as the summer comes to a close. Readers who have enjoyed previous books in the series will enjoy this one as well ... In addition to having the formula down, Lagercrantz offers the distinctive slow rhythms of Nordic crime fiction. (At the same time, he has learned to tighten up the books, which was not Larsson’s forte.)
...a complex plot that extends halfway around the world ... This is to be Lagercrantz’s last Blomkvist mystery. (Another writer will take over.) He’s going out on a high note. This reviewer found it hard to stop reading, day and night.
There are also fascinating new characters ... The action is very fast moving. Not just each chapter, but almost every subsection ends with a cliffhanger. Though anyone who has read some of the previous installments will anticipate what’s coming, it’s still suspenseful, and once or twice there’s a real surprise. Still, while Lagercrantz is a good imitator, he’s no Stieg Larsson. The last segments seem more contrived than comparable situations in Larsson’s Millennium novels, which went pretty far in demanding the reader’s suspension of disbelief. And while each new novel stands more or less on its own, it requires a detailed three-page list of continuing characters at the beginning to make sense of what’s going on.
How you feel about the latest installment of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series depends on how much you crave the literary company of Lisbeth Salander. If you look to the ferocious hacker who punishes abusive men to provide you with a catharsis we seldom see in real life, you probably want to read on. Hard to blame you. We need a win whenever we can get one ... If, however, you require a coherent and compelling story, with the Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist you remember from Stieg Larsson’s original Millennium trilogy, you might want to skip this book. The Girl Who Lived Twice has one intriguing development, but far too often the book makes you wonder: Did we really need this? ... The plot grows needlessly complex, bogging down in a sea of names ... The characters seem off, too ... As for Salander, she’s less of a punk but more of a caricature ... The required revenge scene in which she confronts an abusive husband lacks tension, as if Lagencrantz only threw it in because readers expect it.
... perhaps the most straightforwardly plotted entry and thus the easiest to follow (thanks to an ace translation by George Goulding). The result is an addicting read that will be more than satisfying to fans of the series and those encountering it for the first time ... The ending comes off as slightly rushed. One of the more interesting characters almost seems to disappear in the chaotic conclusion, though that may be a good thing. Perhaps this individual will be brought back in a future volume. The pacing leading up to it, though, is first-rate, with Lagercrantz shifting perception, time and setting rapidly (but without confusion) at just the right places to keep the pages turning almost of their own volition ... Lagercrantz’s descriptions and obvious extensive research make those particular passages worth the price of admission all by themselves ... the perfect one-sit read (well, maybe two) with which to enjoy and appreciate the final days of summer.
... delivers a suspenseful story, offering some welcome escapism as the summer comes to a close. Readers who have enjoyed previous books in the series will enjoy this one as well ... In addition to having the formula down, Lagercrantz offers the distinctive slow rhythms of Nordic crime fiction. (At the same time, he has learned to tighten up the books, which was not Larsson’s forte.)
This being Stieg Larsson by way of Lagercrantz, there’s a deeply tangled plot...involving politicians with questionable records, hackers, motorcycle gangs, and cops who are lucky to be able to tie their shoes in the morning. More, Lagercrantz stirs in improbable elements, including superhuman DNA ... If Lagercrantz strays into Smilla’s Sense of Snow levels of unlikelihood in weaving all these threads, he writes economically, and though he works ground he’s covered in his two earlier contributions to the series, disbelief suitably suspended, it all makes for good bloody fun. Formulaic, but it’s a formula that still works, as Salander and assorted bad guys spread righteous mayhem wherever they go.
... exciting ... Lisbeth’s plan to kill her evil twin sister, Camilla, provides a diverting subplot. A tantalizing ending hints at important changes for Blomkvist and Lisbeth ahead. Series fans will be pleased with the thoughtful way Lagercrantz develops the character of their beloved action heroine in this worthy outing.